Sierra Brune

CCM 3

Rudolph is the only reindeer in Santa’s herd qualified to fly in IFR flight conditions. He is also the only reindeer equipped with the proper “instruments” to safely travel in IFR conditions.

Rudolph vs. Santa Claus Corporation

The forecast for the region from Santa’s Elves downplayed the severity of the winter storm, mostly in the fear of having to cancel Christmas.

Santa’s sleigh arrived at Wichita Falls in Texas at 12pm on December 24th 2009. This is when Rudolph was scheduled for his mandated 8-hour break period between shifts. The sleigh left Wichita Falls at 1pm. Arrival time at Oklahoma City was 5pm. After the sleigh arrived in Oklahoma City Oklahoma, conditions changed from blizzard conditions to blowing snow. The reindeer scheduled to start his shift at 12pm December 24th 2009 was able to takeover at 6pm December 24th 2009.

Flight plan description:

Rudolph has hired you to:

1. Determine the flight conditions at the following airports where the sleigh landed and departed on the evening of December 24th 2009, at the times specified in the flight plan.

a) Oklahoma City (OKC) Oklahomab) Wichita Falls (SPS) Texas

2. Determine the cloud cover over the sleighs trajectory on Christmas Eve 2009.

Background information:

“Blizzard(Abbrev. BLZD)- A blizzard means that the following conditions are expected to prevail for a period of 3 hours or longer: Sustained wind or frequent gusts to 35 miles an hour or greater; andconsiderable falling and/or blowing snow (i.e., reducing visibility frequently to less than a ¼ mile) .

Flight condition categories are a defined set of FAA regulations and “rules of the road” covering the operation of aircraft. These include VFR, MVFR, and IFR. The flight categories are used as a means to evaluate how good, or bad, flying conditions are at that time for a particular airport.

VFR stands for Visual Flight Rules. Basically, VFR can be interpreted as good flying conditions. “Visual” refers to the pilot’s ability to see the runway and control tower. Furthermore , IFR can be interpreted as a marker for bad flying conditions. IFR stands for Instrument Flight Rules. In other words, the pilot depends on certain instruments that the aircraft is, or is not, equipped with. This is largely due to the pilot’s view being obstructed. The “obstruction” for this case was due to a blizzard in the region. The National Weather Service defines a blizzard if certain criteria are reached.

1. Determine the flight conditions at the following airports when the sleigh landed and took off on the evening of December 24th 2006

a) Sheppard AFB, Wichita Falls, Texas, 12pm and 1pm KSPS conditions.b) Will Rogers Airport, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 5pm and 6pm KOKC conditions.

I determined that IFR conditions were present at all specified times. At the Sheppard Air Force Base near the Texas-Southern Oklahoma border, IFR conditions existed at both the 12pm arrival and 1pm departure. In addition, the 5pm landing at the Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma was under IFR conditions. Finally, the 6pm departure from KOKC showed that IFR conditions persisted from reduced visibility due to blowing snow even though blizzard conditions subsided. Figure (FIG 4) has observations for December 24th 2009 for both KOKC and KSPS.

My conclusion is that IFR conditions indeed existed throughout the time period in question for this case at both KSPS and KOKC. The sleight flew during blizzard conditions when Rudolph was leading the team.

Observations - KSPS

Pink = blizzard conditions

Observations - KOKC

  2. Determine the cloud cover over the sleighs trajectory on Christmas Eve 2009.

Cloudy conditions existed throughout the sleigh’s journey. This figure is an infrared satellite image. The satellite image shows that very cold cloud tops are spread over a large area including the sleighs trajectory. The cloud top temperatures are in the range of -20 to -60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Precipitation

This figure is the radar mosaic for the region in question on the day of December 24th 2009. The radar mosaic clearly shows precipitation throughout the sleighs trajectory.

A strong winter storm was present in the South on Christmas Eve 2009.

Rudolph lead the sleigh during IFR conditions.

Rudolph saved Christmas!

Conclusion